Advances and Innovative Solutions in CCUS Engineering: Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change mitigation remains one of the most pressing global challenges of our time, driving urgent efforts toward decarbonization and sustainable energy transitions. Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) has emerged as a critical technological pathway to reduce anthropogenic CO₂ emissions while enabling the continued use of fossil fuels and facilitating the shift to a low-carbon economy. CCUS encompasses a wide spectrum of engineering and scientific disciplines, from molecular-scale mechanisms to reservoir-scale implementation, and integrates advances in materials, processes, simulation, and system integration. However, significant challenges persist in improving efficiency, reducing costs, ensuring long-term storage security, and scaling up deployments. This calls for continued innovation, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and holistic engineering solutions across the entire CCUS value chain.

This Special Issue on “Advances and Innovative Solutions in CCUS Engineering: Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage” seeks to compile high-quality research contributions that address recent technological, methodological, and operational advances in CCUS. We welcome original research, review articles, and case studies that present novel approaches, models, materials, or integrated systems aimed at enhancing the performance, feasibility, and sustainability of CCUS technologies. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Novel materials and processes for CO₂ capture (e.g., adsorption, membrane separation, chemical looping).
2. CO₂ utilization pathways, including conversion to fuels, chemicals, and building materials.
3. Molecular simulation and multi-scale modeling of CCUS processes.
4. Compressed CO₂ energy storage and integration with renewable energy systems.
5. CO₂-enhanced oil recovery (CO₂-EOR) and CO₂ storage in hydrocarbon reservoirs, and related questions about thermal–hydraulic–mechanical–chemical (THMC) coupling in CO₂ storage.
6. Geological storage of CO₂, including site characterization, monitoring, and risk assessment, as well as techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment of CCUS systems.
7. Field applications, pilot studies, and industrial-scale implementation of CCUS.

We look forward to your submissions and to fostering a vibrant discussion on the future of CCUS engineering.

Sincerely,

Dr. Wenhao He
Prof. Dr. Yu Shi
Dr. Ruixue Li
Dr. Zonglun Wang
Guest Editors

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